Chapter Six : Of Adoptees and Archaeopteryx

"Discovery happens to prepared minds."

We were going, of course, to the Museum of Natural History.

The Museum is one of the few places I will actually admit to liking. I like the air of antiquity. The hushed atmosphere. The sense of peace. The vast accumulation of knowledge. Many people schlump through it in extremes of boredom, whining and eagerly anticipating the food court, and I would throttle them if it weren't against the law for that disrespect. Then again, I think that might be why I allow myself to like it. It's an underappreciated place.

We came in through the underground entrance; the admission fees are suggested donations, so I got us all in on five dollars, despite a dirty look from the man at the counter. Silently, I promised to splurge on museum admissions at some later date, when I had my parents around to provide money. We're pretty well off, see, but let me remind you – my family is overprotective. They micromanage. It was all I could do to beg enough money for movie tickets off of them yesterday – that and a week's breakfast allowance was what I had today. So however much I liked the museum, I had to be frugal.

"If we're looking for dinosaur bones," I instructed dully as we walked through the lobby, "we want the upper floors. I don't know how that relates to a phoenix, though."

"That's okay, I've got this one," grinned Aang. We all gave him slightly confused looks. "I used to visit this place all the time," he explained, shoving his fingers through his hair. Right – Michael must have been one of those dinosaur nuts. Usually by twelve boys have grown out of that stuff, but Aang had often seemed a little younger than his age, and it was no real surprise his doppelganger in my world would be the same. "Come on," he added impatiently, waving us on, and headed for the stairs. "This way."

We panted up three or four flights of stairs, broad marble with burnished bronze railings, until Aang announced, "this floor." A swarm of touristy types passed us, following a tour guide without paying much attention; I scowled at them and waited until they passed, then we rounded a corner into the first of the dinosaur exhibits.

I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of something moving, sharp teeth glinting; Zuko, right in front of me, whirled towards it faster than I could follow, one hand and foot extending into firebending stance. Ty Lee gasped and grabbed his arm – just barely stopping him from toasting a dinosaur skull, attached to a robotic stand that opened and closed its jaws mechanically.

"Don't!" she gasped, slowly releasing his arm.

Zuko let the flame cupped in his palm die out and lowered his hand, raising the other to massage his forehead. "Sorry. I'm a little… on edge. What is that thing?"

"One of the dinosaur displays," I replied acidly. "Haven't you ever been to the Museum before?" I meant Zen, of course – obviously Zuko had never been to the Museum of Natural History.

"I don't remember!" he growled, frustration creasing his features; he turned away.

Great. They were losing it, fast, and if I found it hard to deal with a team of Avatar characters with the full memories of people born in the city, or at least living here for a while, then what would happen if a bunch of benders with less than a week's experience in my world be like? Not good. Maybe that was the point of gaining a new identity when you crossed over – you wouldn't be able to cope in another world without it. But I guess you can only be one person at a time…

I was so engrossed in thought that I failed to realize we were being observed. One of the kids from the tour – a tall bleach-blonde boy around fifteen or sixteen, wearing a blue T-shirt and an 'I love NY' baseball cap – had detached himself from the fickle group and was currently leaning out past a display case, eyes wide. "Dude," he said, alerting us to his presence. "That was fire. You were about to fry that dinosaur!"

"No, it wasn't," said Zuko, "and I wasn't. Go back to your tour."

He made a futile shooing motion with his hands; the stranger shook his head. "Nah, that's not my tour. My friends kind of… ditched me. Are you sure? Because I'm pretty sure…" He lifted his hand, palm up. "Foosh," he said, miming flame. "No? Definitely not?"

"Why'd they ditch you?" asked Aang. I might have rolled my eyes. If he was going to be all compassionate, how did he ever expect to get anything accomplished?

"Not big museum fans, for some reason."

Ty Lee, who had up until then been silent, finished looking the boy over and spoke: "You're pretty cute," she told him bluntly.

"Uh… thanks?" he hazarded. "You're pretty… pretty."

She beamed, turned to Zuko and Aang. "Can I keep him? Ple-ease?" she asked as though begging for a puppy.

"Great. Another Liz," grumbled Zuko. It hurt, but I held my silence.

Aang hesitated, then nodded. "Fine. I can't stop him if he wants to tag along, but he's your responsibility."

"Mmhmm," Ty Lee agreed solemnly.

"I'm Sean," said the boy.

"Ty Lee!" she shook his hand with fervor.

I was baffled at how quickly they had accepted this stranger; it made me feel smaller and less special. Then again, I suppose there was a precedent; the Gaang, as fanficcers had dubbed them, were a trusting bunch.

Ty Lee took Sean's hand and lead him past the dinosaurs. "They were really big, weren't they?"

"Uh-huh."

"This way," said Aang, sweeping down the hall. Zuko and I followed past the great skeletons of the brachiosaurus and, of course, T. Rex. Aang made a beeline through the hall, into another, and between a pair of glass display cases into a sheltered nook. "All the flying dinosaurs are here," he announced. "I bet one of them is the Phoenix."

That made sense. "We should spread out and search the area," Zuko suggested.

"Good idea," Aang agreed.

"What are we looking for again?" asked Sean; Ty Lee batted her eyelashes and tugged him away, murmuring an explanation. I wondered how much she was sharing. Zuko glared at them and stalked off in another direction; I headed across the hall, to where a pterosaur skeleton hung suspended from the ceiling on near-invisible fishing wire. A pair of those same touristy types bumped into me; I glared at them and positioned myself below the skeleton, trying to change my mental perception. It remained immobile, skeletal, and saurian.

We must have spent half an hour in that hall before we regrouped. "Any luck?" asked Aang as we reassembled in the space between displays. Zuko, Ty Lee, and I shook our heads gravely. Sean, still being towed around like a parade float, shrugged.

"Can we go down to the food court?" Ty Lee asked, a hint of boredom in her bright tones. "They have these dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets…" Sean nodded in dreamy agreement.

"I have one more idea," said Aang. "Come on…"

Archaeopteryx, scientists theorize, is the evolutionary link between dinosaurs and birds. It is the earliest known animal to have true feathered wings, but retains several saurian features, such as teeth. I know all this because I must have read the little plaque in front of the archaeopteryx display, an incomplete skeleton and a stone cast with imprints of its feathers, half a dozen times as we stood in front of it and waited for it to do something.

Finally, Aang gave a great sigh. "I guess not," he admitted, toying with something in his pocket; almost unconsciously, he lifted free the faintly luminous green stone we had been given by the Sphinx. The viridian light it shed cast a broad reflection on the glass of the display case. And through that puddle of reflection, everything was different.

"Look," I said faintly, but they were all looking already – even Sean.

Through the green-reflecting glass, part of the archaeopteryx skeleton was visible, but it wasn't a skeleton; rather, it was clad in monotone feathers. "The Phoenix," breathed Aang.

As though his voice had woken it, the tip of wing stirred, feathers ruffling; the archaeopteryx skeleton twisted, moving with unexpected grace, and leaned forward towards the front of the case. As its head touched, the green-tinted glass rippled and parted like water, and it stepped through, gaining color and definition: shining scarlet plumage and brilliant, solidly golden eyes. "You are the Avatar," it asked, its voice hissing and crackling like flame.

It must be nice to have that kind of reputation. Aang nodded. "Yes. I'm here to find the Amulet of the Four Elements."

"You follow the proper path. You hold the first fragment." It sounded approving – as much as such an inhuman voice can. Its golden eyes shone as it leaned its head forward, nearly touching a beak like polished bronze to the green stone in Aang's palm. "The second is in the mouth of the tyrant," it told him, drawing back and ruffling its ruby feathers.

"Thank you," said Aang, inclining his head.

"Okay, let's go," urged Zuko with feverish impatience.

"Wait. We need to find the next guardian, too," said Aang.

The Phoenix once again looked approving, its metallic beak set in an expression almost like a smile. It held itself half out of the display case, wings extended for balance, pinions trailing backwards and turning back to bones on the other side of the glass. "Patience is indeed a virtue. Listen you well. Each of the fragments is hidden in a place of knowledge or learning. Each of the guardians stands over one. You seek the Gryphon next. He dwells across the water, on the wooded isle. The orange boat will take you quite near. Am I clear enough?"

"I… guess so," said Aang, although he looked confused.

"He watches a temple of books," said the Phoenix. "The orange boat. It is rather conspicuous." It tilted its head curiously, as though waiting for Aang to say something, but the Avatar merely looked back, green stone in his outstretched hand, the light it cast turning his blue tattoos a sickly shade; after a moment, the bird pulled its head back, crimson feathers fading as they passed the wall of glass dividing us. It hopped lithely back onto its stand.

Aang tucked the stone into his pocket and the Pheonix was once again merely the incomplete skeleton of an archaeopteryx.

"Okay, Liz, where are we going next?" he asked.

"Why me?" I asked, a little irked for no good reason.

"That's your job," answered Aang, looking bewildered that I would question such a thing. "You're the one who knows the city."

"You said it yourself," said Zuko. "If you can't figure that out, we can just leave you here." Again with the jibes. What did he have against me? Was I trying too hard to impress him? It must be purely unconscious if I was…

Fortunately, I did have an inkling of where the Phoenix meant to send us. "There's only one orange boat I know about," I answered flatly. "But first, let's get that fragment."

The tyrant was Tyrannosaurus Rex, of course; there was a bright red gem there, but only if you looked at it the right way. I imagine tourists and museum workers must have missed it for years, not having mastered the trick of expecting something that didn't exist. Aang did some subtle airbending, knocked it down, and tucked it in his pocket with the first one. I half-expected sparks, but the two stones did nothing but lie next to each other, glowing faintly. "Okay," said the Avatar. "Now where are we going?"

"The forgotten borough," I answered. "We're getting on the Staten Island Ferry."

We called Katara and Toph to check up on them; they reported Toph had thought she glimpsed Sokka a few times, but they didn't have anything concrete yet. So after letting them know where we were headed, we left the Museum behind and jumped a train downtown to South Ferry.